2012 Annual Meeting Recap

YPs at the 2012 YPC Mixer co-sponsored by SIOC

By: Meagan Lewis The 2012 Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh was another busy meeting for the Young Professional Committee (YPC). The conference started early for the group with most young professionals arriving on the Friday before the conference to help with the Annual Student Conference. We kicked off the week with a strategic planning meeting for the YPC year ahead and then hit up the photo booth at the Student Bash. To see some of the photos from the photo booth, check out the link. On Saturday, the YPC hosted several sessions for graduating students which focused on various topics. Students were drawn in by a panel discussion that touched on whether graduate school was a good option for their future. Attendees were also educated on managing finances and opportunities in AIChE after graduation. Finally, students attended the chemical disasters presentation, which showcased how incidents have shaped the industry in recent years. The festivities continued on Sunday night with the YP tradition of the YPC mixer. The event was co-sponsored by the Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) and had over 100 student and young professional attendees. For more exciting news and pictures from the event see the article. Of course, an Annual Meeting would not be complete without YPC sponsored technical programming. This year, YPC and the Management Division co-sponsored two all-day MBA preview sessions called, "MBA the ChemE Way." It covered all subjects a student would see in an MBA program with guest speakers from Carnegie Mellon University, Penn State University, and AIChE members. For full coverage regarding the session, see the article in this issue of the Newsletter. Additionally, students had an opportunity to show off their research in the Undergraduate Research Forum sessions. Later in the week, the YPC co-sponsored a session with the Environmental Division focused on sustainability. The session was titled "Achieving Sustainable Buildings through Chemical Engineering," and addressed the grand challenge of restoring and improving urban infrastructure. Thank you to everyone who contributed to another successful conference for the Young Professional Committee. If you are interested in being a part of our great group of Young Professionals, please contact me, Meagan Lewis, or our YPC Chair, Kate Gawel.